Adjustable post



Nov. 4, 1958 L. F. AKINS EIAL 2,858,694

ADJUSTABLE POST Filed June 13, 1955 BY MAURICE PATRY 0% MJMA A T TO ENEYS.

United States Patent ADJUSTABLE POST Lester F. Akins and Maurice Patry, Medina, Ohio, as-

signors to Adjusta Products Company, Medina, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 514,918

1 Claim. (CI. 72-77) The present invention relates generally asindicated to an adjustable post such as is adapted for use in building structures for leveling and supporting beams, floor joists, and the like, both in old and in new construction.

It is, of course, well known in the art to provide adjustable jack posts which essentially comprise top and bottom load-bearing plates between which the adjustable post is interposed with'one end of the post bearing against one load-bearing plate and with the end of the jack screw (threaded into the other end of the post) bearing against the other load-bearing plate.

Accordingly, with the bottom load-bearing plate supported on a footing or the like and the top load-bearing plate positioned underneath a beam, the latter may be raised by rotating the jack screw.

However, one problem encountered with this type of adjustable post is that in new construction, wherein it is desired to have the jack screw concealed under the subsequently poured concrete floor, the range of adjustment is relatively short, necessitating the stocking of many different lengths of posts.

In posts of this character, the jack screw is provided with a rounded bottom and which fits in a socket formed in the bottom load-bearing plate, and adjacent the rounded end of said jack screw there is formed a transverse opening for the insertion of a rod by which the jack screw may be rotated.

Accordingly, in order to provide access to such transverse opening of the jack screw, the lower end of the post must initially be spaced above the load-bearing plate a distance of 1 /2" to 2", and, therefore, only 1 to 1 /2" of adjustment remains; otherwise, the concrete floor, of 3" thickness for example, will not extend up to the lower end of the post. Therefore, the post supplier must cut posts to a multitude of different lengths and maintain such lengths in stock in order to accommodate the varied distances in each building between the finished concrete floor and the under surfaces of the beams. In such case, one advantage of the adjustable post over the simple post with shims or wedges thereunder is practically lost.

As will be appreciated, the distance between the beams and the concrete floor will vary several inches, even in domestic dwelling houses, some basement walls being ten building blocks in height, others eleven building blocks, and even then the masonry joints may vary in thickness from about /2" to Moreover, the beams may be 8", 10", 12", or other depth, again varying the distances between the finished concrete floor and the under surface of the beam to be supported or raised.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an adjustable post structure which may be adjusted through a relatively wide range such as, say, 6", for example, while yet the jack screw will be concealed and firmly locked against rotation at all adjusted positions of the post, whereby only a relatively few different lengths of posts need be provided or stocked.

It is another object of this invention to provide an adjustable post assembly in which a tubular, post-em- 2,858,694 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 bracing sleeve has its lower end buried in the concrete floor, said sleeve being of length to embrace the lower end portion of the post in all adjusted positions, thereby concealing the jack screw.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable post assembly of the character indicated in which the aforesaid sleeve is provided with a transverse opening therethrough which is alignable with the transverse opening in the jack screw for insertion of a radially projecting rod into such openings, said rod being effective, when buried in the concrete floor surrounding the sleeve, to securely anchor the sleeve and jack screw against axial and rotary movements.

It is another object of this invention to provide an adjustable post assembly of the character indicated wherein the top load-bearing plate is secured to the upper end ofthe post, whereby, when said top load-bearing plate is non-rotatably secured to the beam engaged thereby, the post also is held against rotation, whereby adjustment of the post assembly cannot be inadvertently or accidentally changed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

Tov the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fullyv described and particularly pointed out in the claim, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but oneof a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

The single figure is a central vertical cross-section view of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference numerals 1 and 2 respectively designate top and bottom load-bearing plates, the top one of which is adapted to be nonrotatably secured as by bolts 3 or other equivalent means underneath a beam B, and the bottom one of which is adapted to be positioned on a footing F.

A tubular post 4 is welded or otherwise secured around the central boss 5 of the top plate 1, one of several spot welds being designated by the reference numeral 6. The lower end of said post 4 terminates short of the bottom load-bearing plate 2 and has welded or otherwise secured thereto a nut 7 which is here shown as being formed with a shoulder 8 which abuts the lower end of the post and which is spot welded at several places as designated by the reference numeral 9.

Threaded into said nut 7 is a jack screw 10 which is formed with a rounded bottom end which fits into a complementary socket 11 formed in the bottom load bearing plate 1, said jack screw being additionally formed with a transverse opening 12 adjacent to such rounded. end and below the lower end of said nut 7, whereby a rod or bar 14 may be inserted into such opening for the purpose of rotating said jack screw relative to said post 4. In this way, lifting force may be exerted on the beam B by rotating the jack screw 10 in a direction to raise the post 4 and top load-bearing plate 1.

By reason of the fact that the transverse opening 12 in the jack screw 10 must be accessible for insertion of the rod 14 or equivalent rod and by reason of the interfitting of the rounded end of the jack screw in the socket 11 therefor, the lower end of the post 4 (including the nut as a part of the post) must be spaced at least about 1 /22" above the bottom load-bearing plate 2.

Accordingly, when the concrete floor C is poured to a depth of say 3", only about 1" to 1 /2 remains for the vertical adjustment of the post 4. Therefore, a stock of many diflferent lengths of posts would have to be pro-- 3 Yigkfl111.911?,Qf-llWQnlgIiQllgllQQlQHlflfltS due to the wide variations in nce be ween t beam 13 and the loot ng or finished floor C as already explained in detail.

In order to materially reduce the number of lengths of naststs ni ed wh le ye tar-evi t n aneati nnear n nest assembly in v r aleh the task saw is. ta ly x9911 2l we have =PI9 d a tabu a -.15. exe lfi; when t lesaoned around the lower end portion of the post 4 to extend downwardl theie ey ndtto-the bott m l ldih lmlglllat .-ree ,r less at the van. o (w thin. s m -t of thedis. ta c between l ad-b atin plate 1; and the bottom. t dn theoris 1 rath r. of thenut of said n Ac d sly. wi hnfereztamnle, a sleeve 15 which ispf 8? le h; and assnm nst at t e lower end of the post 4 may be n sl'qser than .4/ rom the load-bearin Plate because o the transve se .on ning :12. in h t screw Ill, and because of the interfitting .of the lower end of the jack screw ,in the socket 131 .oflthe bottom loadbearing plate 2 6" of adjustment can .easily be provided while yet the lower end of the postil will always be inside the upper end vportion of the sleeve 15; .and the jack screw will be fully concealed.

In order to anchor the sleeve 15. and the jack screw 10 against rotary and axial movements, there is inserted through the transverse opening 16 adjacent the lower end of h Sl ve 15, and the, transverse opening 12 :in the jack screw, 2. rod :14 as shown in the drawing, which projects radially beyond the sleeve. Therefore, when-the concrete C is poured with the rod 14 eburied therein, the sleeve 15, will be positively held against rotation and against axialwithdrawal upwardly. Likewise, the jack screw 10. will be positively held against rotation and against upward withdrawal.

Said rod 14-. may, if desired, be used in turning both the jack screw 10 and sleeve with respect to the post 4 and nut 7 secured to said post. Alternatively, the rod 14 or equivalent bar may be used to turn the jack screw 10 while sleeve 15 is held in raised position, whereupon, after the post has thus been adjusted, said sleeve may be lowered and said rod 14 inserted as shown in the drawing ready for the pouring of the concrete.

The building owner, if he so desires, may finish off the joint between the sleeve 15 and the post 4 with a fillet of calking compound or the like, or with a fanciful thimble or collar closely fitted over the post 4 and sleeve 15 and secured in place as by set screws or the like.

As a specific example of the invention, the top loadbearing plate 1 may be fabricated from 8 x 6" x 5 steel plate and formed with a post-centering boss 5 which fits inside a 3" O. D. post 4 of .120" wall thickness (11 gauge). Thebot-tom load-bearing plate 2 may besrnaller and thinner than said top plate, for exarnpleo X 5. 21 and formed with a socket 1'1'to accommodate the gem erally hemispherical bottom e d of the 1 /2 diameter and 9 "long jack screw '10, the screw threads being of any desired form such as square threads or 'V threads, ay of a ou z-p The not Ills preferably of about 1%" axial length with 7/8 or thereabouts projecting into the post 4. The l e 231 be a eb c m er ia s ee ube o .4

4 gauge and 3%" O. D. The transverse opening 16 adia cent the lower end of saidsleeve 15 may be of diameter to facilitate insertion of a /2 diameter by 8" long steel rod 14 inserted therethrough and through the diameter opening 12 in the jack screw 10. Accordingly, when said 8" long rod 14 is approximately centered as shown in the drawing, the ends thereof will project radially beyond the sleeve 15 a distance of about The foregoing example is not to be regarded restric tive n a s s",v b t-has me e y be n g ven .toillnst a a typical post assembly, by means of which about 6 of adjustment may be easily efiected, whereby considerably fewer lengths .of posts .4 need he stocked as compared with prior post assemblies now in extensive use.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or theequivalentof such, ibe emp oyed- We therefore partipularl-y point out .and distinctly claim as our invention;

An adiustable post assembly comprising top and bottom load-be ting plates respectively positioned under a beam and on a footing therebelow, a postposit ioned with its upper end engaged with said top plate and with its lower end portion terminating short of said bottom plate; a jack screw threadedinto the lower end portion of said post and bearing against said bottom plate, said jack screw being formed with a transverse openingbetween said bottom plate and the lower end portion of said post, a rod extending through such transverse .opening for rotating said jack screw relative, tosa-idpos-t so as to exert lifting force, through said post and top plate, under such beam; and a tubular sleeve extending upwardly from said bottom plate and freely embracing the outer surface of said .end portion in telescopic relation, said sleeve completely surrounding and concealing the portion of the jack screw between the bottom .plate and said lower end portion, said sleeve being formed with a transverse opening through the wall thereof aligned with the jack screw opening, said, rod also extending through the transverse opening in said sleeve and being buried in concrete around the lower end portion of said sleeve, to lock said sleeve and jack screw against axial and rotary movements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

